Instrument vending machine

[Mikko S Kiviranta]

Dear colleagues,

The items you need in everyday engineering work are getting smaller
and smaller and its getting more and more difficult to locate them
on the lab tables. And I'm getting tired on going around among my 20-or-so
co-workers and asking whether they have taken or seen the active scope
probes, or U.FL-SMA adapters or this and that. Now, it would be nice to have
something like a sandwitch vending machine; you know, the device with
a set of lids which can be opened after inserting the proper amount of
coins. The scope probes, for instance, would remain under the lid until
the engineer Joe Smith comes and opens the lid with his company ID
card. The next guy who arrives and finds the compartment empty could
then inquiry the machine and find out that the lid was opened last time
by Joe, so that he can immediately charge to Joe's throat.

Its unlikely that such a vending machine would be available for the
whole variety of the company ID card styles in existence, but a PIN code
could serve the same purpose. Each user would have a personal key code which
he/she must key in to the machine in order to open the lid. I'm pretty
sure that a manufacturer of such devices must exist among the obscure
backyard companies somewhere on this planet. I wonder if any of you has
heard about such a gadget? RFID tracking is not practical for this purpose
(I think).

Regards,
Mikko

 

[Mikko S Kiviranta]

: something like a sandwitch vending machine; you know, the device with

I mean 'sandwich', sandwitches are something weird and
a vending machine for them even weirder.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Dear colleagues,

The items you need in everyday engineering work are getting smaller
and smaller and its getting more and more difficult to locate them
on the lab tables. And I'm getting tired on going around among my 20-or-so
co-workers and asking whether they have taken or seen the active scope
probes, or U.FL-SMA adapters or this and that. Now, it would be nice to have
something like a sandwitch vending machine; you know, the device with
a set of lids which can be opened after inserting the proper amount of
coins. The scope probes, for instance, would remain under the lid until
the engineer Joe Smith comes and opens the lid with his company ID
card. The next guy who arrives and finds the compartment empty could
then inquiry the machine and find out that the lid was opened last time
by Joe, so that he can immediately charge to Joe's throat.

Its unlikely that such a vending machine would be available for the
whole variety of the company ID card styles in existence, but a PIN code
could serve the same purpose. Each user would have a personal key code which
he/she must key in to the machine in order to open the lid. I'm pretty
sure that a manufacturer of such devices must exist among the obscure
backyard companies somewhere on this planet. I wonder if any of you has
heard about such a gadget? RFID tracking is not practical for this purpose
(I think).

Regards,
Mikko

I recently saw a vending machine for small items such as end mills. It
looked similar to the type of vending machine that has horizontal
spiral coils that rotate to release the product. In this case, the
items were held in paper envelopes. The front was metal. It had a
bar-code scanner-- presumably for the user and the item code. This was
at a bankruptcy sale of a high-end moldmaking shop, and I didn't note
the manufacturer, sorry.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Ban]

Dear colleagues,

The items you need in everyday engineering work are getting smaller
and smaller and its getting more and more difficult to locate them
on the lab tables. And I'm getting tired on going around among my
20-or-so co-workers and asking whether they have taken or seen the
active scope probes, or U.FL-SMA adapters or this and that. Now, it
would be nice to have something like a sandwitch vending machine; you
know, the device with
a set of lids which can be opened after inserting the proper amount of
coins. The scope probes, for instance, would remain under the lid
until
the engineer Joe Smith comes and opens the lid with his company ID
card. The next guy who arrives and finds the compartment empty could
then inquiry the machine and find out that the lid was opened last
time
by Joe, so that he can immediately charge to Joe's throat.

Its unlikely that such a vending machine would be available for the
whole variety of the company ID card styles in existence, but a PIN
code could serve the same purpose. Each user would have a personal
key code which he/she must key in to the machine in order to open the
lid. I'm pretty
sure that a manufacturer of such devices must exist among the obscure
backyard companies somewhere on this planet. I wonder if any of you
has heard about such a gadget? RFID tracking is not practical for
this purpose (I think).

Regards,
Mikko

Do you have any communication problem with your colleagues? I think your
idea will not make you much more popular.
It's the business of the R&D manager to organize how to distribute
instruments, tools and other resources. You have to find a balance between
creative chaos and restrictive order.
Disciplining others OTOH is an ugly interest.

 

[Ancient_Hacker]

Hospitals have machines that do just that for pills-- the nurses have
to enter the correct codes to get the bins to open. Makes it easier to
tell who's taking what. Probably more expensive than just buying a
few more scope probes though.

 

[Rich Grise]

Hospitals have machines that do just that for pills-- the nurses have
to enter the correct codes to get the bins to open. Makes it easier to
tell who's taking what. Probably more expensive than just buying a
few more scope probes though.

These are all great ideas, except none of them makes a provision for when
the person _returns_ the item.

Maybe tag each item with a little bar code tag or something?

Or stop hiring people who take stuff and don't return it?

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Zimmy]

These are all great ideas, except none of them makes a provision for when
the person _returns_ the item.

Maybe tag each item with a little bar code tag or something?

Or stop hiring people who take stuff and don't return it?

A much simpler and cheaper solution (if you have an old PC available). Point
a webcam towards the storage shelves so that you can see whose taking out
what. Run a program like Active webcam with motion detection. This will
record a clip any time someone takes or returns something.

Z